Mainly

With plans drawn up to focus mainly on power transmission anddistribution, New England Electric System (NEES) decided last weekthe time was ripe to start testing the market for its successfulretail energy marketing subsidiary, AllEnergy Marketing.

EnerMark Income Fund of Calgary offered to acquire all shares ofWestern Star Exploration Ltd. by way of a take-over bid. WesternStar assets are mainly producing gas properties concentrated in theHanna, Taber and Thornbury areas of Alberta. EnerMark’s estimate ofWestern Star’s proven reserves total 36,855 MMcf of gas and 147MBoe of crude oil and gas liquids. These reserve volumes includethe results of a successful 21-well gas development program atHanna Garden.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s Eastern Express Project 2000 is a muchdifferent expansion today-mainly much smaller-as it arrives at FERCthan when it was announced more than a year ago. Last winter, thecompany said there was market interest in more than 4 Bcf/d of firmcapacity along nearly every stretch of its system, from the Gulf ofMexico north, from Chicago and Niagara east and from New Hampshiresouth. But Tennessee filed an application yesterday with FERC toadd only 168 MMcf/d of capacity along the northernmost part of itspipeline at connections with PNGTS and Maritimes.

LG&E Energy Corp. said it is discontinuing power marketingoperations and will take a $231.8 million after-tax loss in thesecond quarter mainly because it was forced to cover fixed-pricedpower marketing agreements when Midwest power prices went throughthe roof last month, reaching $7,000/MW compared to $30/MW justdays prior. The company was among the top 10 largest powermarketers (by volume sold) in the country last year.